Ann Marie Vancas is an artist based in Houston, Texas. The artist’s portfolio is packed with colourful artworks that utilize aesthetics and techniques from Fauvism and early abstraction with a contemporary twist.

I’m impressed by the variation in different media and substrates that Ann utilizes in her portfolio. Working on paper, canvas, and board as well as on household objects and furniture, Ann showcases a focus on colour and mark-making that translates easily into many different contexts.

Ann’s traditional works on paper and canvas focus on twisting, undulating forms. The paintings are firmly abstract and hearken to paintings by the likes of Wassily Kandinsky, in their use of marks and patches of colour and line-art that evoke recognizable forms while still resisting categorization. I can also see parallels between some of these works and the dense abstract compositions of Nathalie Gribinski. Ann’s works express an appreciation for unconscious image making and an intuitive painting style.

About the author

Dallas Jeffs is the Editor of Artist Run Website's blog. She is a recent graduate of Emily Carr University of Art and Design, where she studied Critical and Cultural Practices. She is passionate about talking and writing about art, and sharing that interest with others. In her studio practice she is a painter, but she considers herself an art writer and educator foremost. If you like art, books and culture with a science fiction twist, check out Dallas' personal blog, HappySpaceNoises